Xinjiang is home to 25.85 million people, of whom 14.93 million are ethnic minorities such as Uighurs and Kazakhs.
Why is China cautious about opening new roads from Afghanistan to Xinjiang?
Why is China cautious about opening new roads from Afghanistan to Xinjiang?
Various media outlets were invited on a media tour to Urumqi to cover several events organized by the local government, including the opening ceremony of the annual meeting of the regional advisory body and parliament.
Ten news organizations from Hong Kong and Macau, including the Post, and four foreign news organizations sent reporters.
The foreign media included Turkey’s Anadolu News Agency, Indonesia’s Antara News Agency, Kazakhstan’s state news agency Kazinform, and Singapore’s Straits Times.
Representatives of eight Chinese foreign embassies – Belarus, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia – also visited Urumqi and attended the opening ceremony of the political conference.
Over the past two years, Xinjiang has frequently hosted envoys and media representatives from eight countries, and religious figures from Islamic countries in the Middle East and Indonesia have also been invited to visit the region.
Xinjiang officials said they also invited representatives from the U.S. embassy in Beijing for the tour, but the invitation was not accepted. The official added that he had tried to invite a number of international media, but did not reveal the list.
Media workers were subject to strict pandemic measures in the region’s two sessions, with all journalists required to take a coronavirus test.
Xinjiang Daily said on Saturday that inviting foreign media “helps the world objectively recognize Xinjiang’s efforts to fight terrorism and maintain stability.”
However, clear restrictions were placed on media coverage. Only mainland Chinese media were allowed full access to certain panels and discussions at the gathering, similar to the coverage protocols for the two national sessions held annually in Beijing.
Foreign media were seated on the balcony and were not able to speak directly to the lawmakers at the meeting.
Xinjiang Governor Elkin Tuniyaz said on Tuesday that Xinjiang would “strengthen practical cooperation with neighboring countries, especially the five Central Asian countries” while reading out the local government’s annual work report.
Tuniyaz is one of several Xinjiang officials sanctioned by the United States for alleged human rights abuses in the region.
UN human rights review of China reveals global divisions
UN human rights review of China reveals global divisions
The topic of sanctions also came up at the meeting.
Although the region claims to have achieved a “devastating victory” against terrorist attacks, security remains a key theme.
Tuesday’s government work report stressed that Xinjiang will maintain a “tough stance” to maintain social stability, namely counter-terrorism.
However, while maintaining stability was a top priority for the Xinjiang government from 2015 to 2020, this year it appears near the end of the Outlook section of the report outlining priorities for the region. did.
“Training centers have played a very big role in Xinjiang’s fight against terrorism,” Li Chuan, head of the agency responsible for drafting local laws at the Xinjiang People’s Congress, told the Post, adding that the world He added that we should learn from Xinjiang’s approach.
He warned that the “triple forces” of terrorism, separatism and religious extremism were still active in Xinjiang’s neighboring countries, and that Xinjiang authorities were engaged in a “long, difficult and even serious fight against terrorism.” He added that he is preparing for the